First Zionist Congress

"[3][7] As a result of the vocal opposition by both the Orthodox and Reform community leadership, the Congress, which was originally planned in Munich, Germany, was transferred to Basel by Herzl.

[9] Herzl acted as chairperson of the Congress, which was attended by some 200 participants from seventeen countries, 69 of whom were delegates from various Zionist societies, and the remainder were individual invitees.

[2] According to the 200-page Official Protocol, the three-day conference included the following events: The Zionist Executive elected by the First Congress consisted of:[12][13] In addition, it was agreed that one representative was to be appointed for each of Britain, America and Palestine.

[14] On the second day of its deliberations (August 30), the version submitted to the Congress by a committee under the chair of Max Nordau, it was stated: "Zionism seeks to establish a home for the Jewish people in Palestine secured under public law."

This gave clear expression to Herzl's political Zionist vision, in contrast with the settlement orientated activities of the more loosely organized Hovevei Zion.

[3] To meet halfway the request of numerous delegates, the most prominent of whom was Leo Motzkin, who sought the inclusion of the phrase "by international law," a compromise formula proposed by Herzl was eventually adopted.

[16] To achieve this goal, the Congress envisages the following means: According to Israel Zangwill it was Max Nordau who came up with the phrase "home secured by public law" to avoid antagonising the Sultan "too deeply".

Subsequent congresses founded various institutions for the promotion of this program, notably a people's bank known as the Jewish Colonial Trust, which was the financial instrument of political Zionism.